Jack's Demise
by skydancer121
Summary: Based on how Jack existed for 300 years before becoming a Guardian, it's okay to assume there are other spirits. Since Jack is a known troublemaker, I'd safely say there are quite a few spirits that don't like him. But what if they take that dislike too far? Rated T for lots of blood.
1. It's a Matter of Luck

**Well, it is wonderful to be out here instead of in the sidelines. This is my second fanfiction posted on this site, but I'm pretty sure this one is a lot better. There are a lot of other authors out here that have such great inspiration (shoutout to Dolphy and KitoH!) that helped me to actually write this. Just a head's up, I've not read the books, so don't get mad at me if I get something wrong. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RotG. If I did, well…it wouldn't be a kids' movie.**

Jack slid across the ice, coming to a painful stop at the wall of rock. Before he could fully right himself, a hand grabbed him by the throat and pinned him against the rock. He pushed uselessly at the hand.

"You know Jack, this has become quite troublesome for me. I've grown quite tired of your 'early snow-days'. If this was a first-time offence, I would've let it go, but you've been doing this for _300 years._ Your early snowfalls have caused many men to die. Men that were either about to get something grand, or had just did. It has become so frustrating that I've decided you should be punished." Lady Luck sneered and revealed a broadsword hidden in the folds of her cloak. Jack's eyes widened.

"Oh, don't worry; it's not infused with magic. It shouldn't kill you." She thrust the sword into his abdomen. Jack's mouth filled with blood and his struggling stopped. Luck purred into his ear as the blood started to pour.

"At least not right away." She extracted her sword and released the dying Winter Spirit, leaving him to bleed out on the ice. She only paused to glance at the broken staff before flying off to continue her work.

"Be sure to be back by seven! I should be finished shopping by then."

"Got it Mom!" Jamie shouted as he ran out the door to the early snow-day. He was going to meet his friends and Jack at the lake for some ice skating lessons. Technically, they weren't supposed to meet for another hour, but Jamie couldn't wait. He wanted to see exactly how early Jack showed up, since he always seemed to be waiting for them. He had almost cleared the tree line when he smelled it: the overwhelming stench of blood. He stepped into the clearing and saw Jack lying in a pool of it on the ice.

"Jack!' Jamie, being careful so as not to fall, ran across the ice to the gasping Guardian, who was clutching his stomach. Jamie, being the naïve child that he was, turned Jack over so he was lying on his back. What he saw instantly made Jamie regret turning him. Blood covered the entire front of his hoodie and some of it was spilling from his mouth. Someone had stabbed him with something big.

"S-stay here, Jack. I gonna go get my sled and some help!"

"Jamie? What are you doing here? We're not supposed to meet for another hour." Cupcake said as she rubbed her sleepy eyes.

"I need your help. It's about Jack." The tiredness vanished in an instant and she quickly wrote a note to her parents saying she'd be at Jamie's house.

"Let me grab my first aid kit."

Bunny paced the globe room, growing more and more anxious with every passing minute. Jack was an hour late. Jack was never late to their Guardian meetings.

"Bunny, you're making me dizzy."

"Well can ya blame me Tooth!? Jack's never been a minute late and he still hasn't shown up after we've waited fur an hour! What if somethin' happened to him? I'm goin' to look fur him."

"And where will you look?" North's question stopped the Pooka cold.

"Exactly. We must wait for Jack to reach out. Let us begin meeting for now."

"He looks horrible." Cupcake said needlessly as she closed the door. Jamie and her had used the sled to help carry the wounded spirit to Jamie's house, where they laid him in one of the guestrooms' bed.

"Yeah, but I think he'll be okay. At least I hope so." Jamie said as he twirled one of the pieces of Jack's staff in his hands. The other two pieces lay in front of him in the snow.

"Is that what I think it is?" Cupcake asked. Jamie nodded, but still said it out loud so it was confirmed.

"It's Jack's staff." He said, his voice barely quivering. Cupcake didn't seem to hear it as she sat down on the step next to him. It was quite funny to see her towering over him if you just glanced at the pair.

"What happened to him?"

"I don't know. I just found him like that. Someone must've stabbed him or something. I just want him to be okay. I don't want him to die alone." Jamie's voice clearly quivered this time with fear for his immortal friend. Cupcake wrapped her arm around the boy's shoulders and pulled him in to comfort him. It was at that time all their friends decided to show up and see them.

"Aww, you guys are so cute together!" Pippa awed as the twins, Claude and Caleb, make kissy faces. Both groups ignored Cupcake's glare. They stopped teasing once they saw Jamie wipe away tears.

"Jamie, are you okay?"

"Yeah, you'll have to go sledding instead of ice skating. Jack had to call in sick." The others didn't even question him. They just ran off to get their sleds. Jamie collected the shards and handed his sled to Cupcake.

"You go ahead. I'm gonna stay with Jack."

He felt like he was dying in a pit of fire. His pain…oh the pain…it was enough to kill anything that wasn't immortal. Unfortunately, Jack was. He was vaguely aware of someone calling his name. He felt himself being moved. It made the pain much, much worse. He wanted to scream, but to do that Jack would need excessive amounts of air. He didn't have enough to completely breathe, let alone scream, at that moment. He thought of everything he could to vent out his pain, but he would need the pain to lessen before he could. He called out to the first person that came to mind.

 _Bunny…make it stop!_

Jack was lying on top of the blankets, gasping for breath and trembling in _agony._ Jamie wanted to help him so bad, but he knew better than to try this on his own. He needed Jack to contact the Guardians somehow. Reluctantly, Jamie decided it was time to wake him up. He touched his arm before shaking it.

"Jack? Jack, you need to wake up. Now!" He shouted. Jack stirred and his eyes slowly opened. Jack's breathing hitched hard enough that it stayed severely unbalanced. He wasn't entirely sure what he was seeing.

"J-J-Jamie?" He exclaimed in pain and shut his eyes again. Jamie started shaking his arm again.

"Jack, I know it hurts, but you've gotta stay awake. How can I contact the Guardians?" Jack opened his eyes to see Jamie about to break into a full-fledged panic attack. He moved one of his hands to the pendant around his neck. He was quick to snap it off and hand it to his first believer. At Jamie's confusion, he elaborated.

"O-open it. T-t-they sh-should come…" Jack couldn't finish before he had a coughing fit. Blood splattered over the already-soaked hoodie. A flash of blue light shot up from the open pendant and zipped out of the room. When it had disappeared over the mountains, Jamie turned back to Jack.

"J-Jamie…g-go back…to y-your r-r-room…until I-I…l-leave. Okay?" Another coughing fit as Jamie shook his head.

"No. I'm not leaving you alone. I'm scared I'll come back and you'll be…you'll be…" Jamie didn't finish his sentence due to the sudden lump in his throat and the tears streaming down his face. Jack was shedding his own tears, but of pain and desperation.

"J-Jamie…please…"

"North, what is that?" Tooth asked sarcastically. North stood up straighter in offense.

"Can't you tell? Is Pogo Stick with counting meter." Bunny glanced back at the globe while they argued. He turned his full attention to it when he noticed one of the golden lights was actually blue. It was the distress device activating. Every Guardian had something on them that when opened or touched a certain way, a colored light would appear on the globe. Red for North, Green for Bunny, Purple for Tooth, Orange for Sandy (since the lights were already gold) …

…and Blue for Jack.

"Mates, Jack activated his distress signal. He's in Burgess. I'll meet ya there." Bunny said, not really caring if they heard him or not. He just wanted to get to his adoptive brother as soon as possible. Since the globe didn't show exact locations, Bunny would have to track him down once he got to Burgess. He appeared near another spirit that was just walking through the woods. He recognized her immediately.

"Lady Luck, have ya seen Jack anywhere?" Bunny asked. The visually appealing spirit shrugged with fake disinterest. _So, it had taken the Guardians three hours to notice. Jack would be dead by now, or at least very close._

"I thought I saw him by the frozen lake. Is he in trouble?" Bunny didn't even bother answering. He just ran toward the town, hoping with all his center that Jack was okay.

Now, three hours isn't enough time for blood to melt through ice, so you can imagine the Pooka's shock when he found way too much of it near the rocks. He got close enough to get four different scents. One was a male of pine needles and cookies; Jack. One was a boy of shampoo and hope; Jamie. A female of baked goods; most likely Cupcake. And finally, a woman of alcohol and money; Lady Luck. His blood boiled. She'd hurt Jack. He'd beat her to a pulp after he found Jack. Since he smelled Jamie, he decided to tunnel into Jamie's room. It was empty.

"Jamie, mate? Where are ya?" He smelled blood and Jack and salt, that meant there were tears. He could hear pained gasping and assumed the worst.

"Bunny! We're in here!" Bunny burst into the bedroom to see a teary-eyed Jamie standing over a bloody mess of the Guardian of Fun. Jack had blood dripping from the corner of his lips and gushing from a stab wound in his abdomen. His breathing slowed, which wasn't a good thing at this moment.

"Jamie, get out of here now!" The Guardian of Hope leaped to the spot the child had been and gently raised the Winter Spirit's shoulders…

…just in time to witness Jack release his final breath.


	2. Revenge Can Wait

**I am soooooo sorry for not updating sooner. I got really busy but here's chapter 2! There is at least one other chapter to this, and I promise I will work on it. R &R and Enjoy!**

"No, no NO! Jack! Jack, answer me! Open yer eyes. I'm right here! I'm right here…please wake up." Bunny couldn't fight the sobs that came from the depths of his soul. _He…he had failed._

"Jack, I'm so sorry fur every mean thing I ever said to ya. I didn't mean any of them. Please just wake up." The heartbroken Pooka held the lifeless child closer as he sobbed. He didn't even respond when Jamie called from outside the room.

"Bunny, is he alright? I can't hear him anymore." There was no answer from either of the Guardians, so Jamie leaned into the doorway to see two long ears disappear into a tunnel.

"Jack's distress light has gone out. Does that mean Bunny found him?" Tooth asked the big Russian. He just shrugged.

"Light go out can only mean one thing: Jack no longer in distress." The sound of a tunnel opening cut him off as Bunny hopped out of his hole, carrying his blood-soaked cargo into their midst. Tooth's gasp of horror compensated for Sandy's inability to speak. Bunny started to sob again, but much harder this time.

"I was too slow. He…he died in my arms before I…I even had the chance to say anythin' to him. T-to apologize…but now he's gone." The Pooka clutched the fragile boy tightly against his chest, afraid that someone would try to take his brother away. A hand on his shoulder made the grieving Bunny look up. North was fighting the need to weep for his friends' sake.

"It not your fault, Bunny."

"I could've made it…if I hadn't talked to…" Bunny remembered the fourth scent he detected from the lake. _Lady Luck had killed Jack Frost._ Bunny started seeing red. _Lady. Luck. Killed. His. Baby. Brother._

"She'll pay for this." He snarled. He was about to put Jack down and go after her when he heard a loud gasp below him. Jack was breathing heavily again and trembling in agony.

"B-Bunny…"

"Jack, yer alive!" The Pooka tightened his grip on the immortal teenager as he weakly returned the embrace.

"T-that's…arguable." Jack panted while trying to hold back his bleeding lungs' protest to speaking. His hold broke when Tooth practically tackled him in a hug.

"Oh Jack, we were so worried you were…" she stopped as Jack coughed vigorously into his hand. When he pulled it away, it was almost completely red. Tooth realized with horror that Jack's abdomen was horribly wounded and his teeth…his beautiful white teeth…were stained with blood.

"Jack, who did this to you?" North asked. Jack tried to speak, but was broken off by more coughing. Bunny's eyes blazed with fury, but compassion burned as well. Sandy signed an image of a first aid kit, then an alarm clock ringing violently.

"I agree, mate. Jack comes first; revenge can wait. Even if I want to break every bone in her body." Bunny was supremely unwilling to let Jack go, but he gave the boy to North for care.

"Wait, you know who did this?" Tooth asked. Bunny nodded and opened a tunnel.

"I'm goin' back to Jamie's. He's the one that found Jack in the first place. Hopefully he isn't too traumatized to talk about what he saw."

"Jamie, where's Jack?" Cupcake asked once Jamie came running out in a panic.

"Bunny took him and I don't know if he's okay. Have you seen either of them?" Jamie asked breathlessly. Cupcake shook her head. Jamie sat down in the snow, exhausted from worrying. Pippa and Monty ran up to the two.

"Come on guys! The twins just made the best sledding track ever!" Monty said, pushing his glasses up. Pippa noticed how Jamie was in a daze.

"Jamie, you alright?"

"What is it with you guys asking if I'm okay?" Jamie pretended to be annoyed to hide his relief. Pippa shrugged.

"Cupcake and I are girls; we're hardwired to notice these things." Pippa smirked and Monty left to re-join the twins.

"I guess so. I'm just worried about Jack. It's not like him to miss a snow day. Besides, he promised he would- "

"Jamie, can I talk to ya?" All the children turned to see the Easter Bunny himself, twitching in the cold. They all wanted to tackle him, but Jamie solemnly walked toward him. Once they were out of earshot, Jamie asked the question that was plaguing his mind.

"Bunny, is Jack okay?"

"Jack is far from bein' okay, but he's alive at least. I need to ask ya what ya saw. Show me exactly where ya found him." The child nodded and started to lead the Pooka to the lake when the others tried to follow.

"Where are you guys going? Can we come too?" The twins asked simultaneously. Bunny glanced between the two groups.

"Don't tell me ya didn't tell them?" Bunny said, frustrated that the responsibility of traumatizing these children fell to him.

"Tell us what? That Jack was sick?" Pippa tried to sound sure, but she was seeing that this more than just a slight cold or fever.

"I guess ya could say that. But I'm warnin' ya: this isn't a happy story, mates. Jamie, lead the way."

*Back at North's Workshop*

"Jack, you need to calm down and try to relax." Tooth tried to get the Winter Spirit to loosen up, but so far, her efforts were futile.

"I-I _am_ try-trying…i-it hurts." Jack was going to end up passing out if he kept trying to talk. Tooth shushed him.

"You really shouldn't be trying to talk right now. North's doing all he can to numb the pain, but your writhing is making it difficult. Just hold still. You'll be okay. Can't we do something for him? Maybe get him some snow?"

"T-Tooth…"

"Yes, Sweet Tooth?"

"T-T-Tell…Jamie…I-I'm okay." Tooth's hands flew to her mouth in a failed attempt to stifle her gasp of horror.

"Jamie found you like this? That's…horrifying! To see someone so young and carefree bleeding out must have been traumatizing! How is he going to get over this?"

"I do not know, Toothy. But we must leave this to Bunny. Our job now: take care of Jack."


	3. You Haven't Told Them?

**Chapter 3**

 **Hey everyone! I finally got the time to think of the next chapter (the one after this) and I think this might stretch out to at least 10 chapters.**

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **sparklehannah: Thanks! I was going to use Dolphy's 'Guardian Globe' (you should totally read her stuff) idea, but decided to make my own way of tracking the Guardians.**

"What happened here?" Pippa shrieked as she saw the blood on the ice. Monty threw up on seeing it, although no one was surprised. The kid had a weak stomach. Jamie began his story with Cupcake there to make sure he was telling it right.

"I found Jack lying here on his stomach. There was so much blood, I was scared that something had happened to him, so I turned him over.

"He had blood all over the front of his hoodie and some of it was coming out of his mouth. I knew I wouldn't be able to carry him by myself, so I grabbed my sled and ran to Cupcake's house, since she's the strongest.

"My mom was out shopping and she took Sophie with her, so we got Jack onto the sled and into one of the guest rooms. He wouldn't stop shaking and gasping, even though he was barely awake. I knew he must've had a way to contact the Guardians, so I had to wake him up.

"He gave me a locket and told me to open it. A little blue light flew out of it and over the mountains. After we couldn't see it, Jack told me to go to my room and stay there until he left. I told him I was afraid I'd come back and he'd be…he'd be…" Jamie started to shake at the memory and Cupcake decided to give him a warm hug. Soon the others joined in, even Bunny, and Jamie was able to finish.

"…Then Bunny came and took him away. What happened to him? Is he okay?" Bunny let the kids go and they followed suit.

"I told ya before, Jamie. Jack's far from okay, but he's alive. We found him in time thanks to ya. I believe Jack owes ya his life. I'll make sure ya get all the snow days ya want from him." Jamie surprised the Pooka by shaking his head.

"I don't want another snow day. I want to see Jack. Can't you take me to him?" The Pooka rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Technically, there weren't any rules that said he _couldn't_ take children to the Pole, but he couldn't take all of them at once, or it would raise suspicion with their parents.

"Look, I'll make ya a deal: If ya can work together to cover fur Jamie, I can take him to see Jack right now. I can only take one of ya, and since Jamie's the one that found him…"

"We'll do it." Claude answered before Bunny finished his sentence. The other kids agreed, except for one. Everyone waited for Cupcake to speak.

"Where is Jack anyway?"

"He's with North at the Pole. Why?" Cupcake took a deep breath before smiling at Jamie.

"Well Jamie, you're going to need a thicker coat."

*At the Workshop*

"Who would do this? Surely Jack didn't deserve such severe punishment?" North said, mostly to himself.

"Bunny seemed to know. Are we sure he actually went to Jamie's? Maybe he decided to get revenge. I can't just sit here and wait for something to happen!" At Tooth's words, a tunnel suddenly opened into the room and Bunny hopped out. Whatever North was going to say was cut off when the Pooka leaned back down and pulled a tired Jamie Bennett out onto the Workshop floor. Jamie spoke first.

"Where's Jack?" Those two, fearful words snapped Tooth out of her stupor.

"He's asleep right now, but I think it would be okay if you went in to see him." Once Tooth had closed the door behind Jamie, she turned on Bunny.

"What were you thinking!? You shouldn't have brought him here. What will his parents think?"

"Don't get yer feathers so ruffled. The other ankle-biters are covering for him. How does he look?"

"He's been better. We were able to get him mostly cleaned up, but the stab wound in his gut won't stop bleeding. He won't be able to do his duties as of yet, but I'm sure Mother Nature will understand." The rest of the Guardians froze. They had completely forgotten about Mother Nature. Once they realized someone would have to go tell her, they all looked expectantly at North. He was on the best terms with Mother Nature and was probably the only one that could calm her down if she got angry, which was definitely how she would react.

"Why must I go? Mother Nature is very frightening. Why not Sandy go to Palace?"

"Because, Sandy can't tell her exactly what happened. You're the only one that can keep her calm, too." Tooth explained, but North still refused.

"Why not you, Tooth? You are woman, too. She would relate more to you than old Cossack."

"I'm not leaving Jack." Tooth stated and flew into the room holding said Winter Spirit. North and Sandy exchanged glances. Bunny didn't like the look in their eyes.

"Ya know what? Let's just all go. If Mother Nature gets out of control Sandy can just knock her out. We can use my tunnels to get there and North will do the talkin'. Sound alright?"

*In Jack's Room*

Jamie didn't like seeing Jack lying still on the bed or the hospital machinery surrounding him. But what made the image worse was that Jack's face was still scrunched up in pain with the dark red spot on his bandages slowly growing.

"J-Jack?" Jamie said softly. He didn't want to wake him up, but at the same time he wanted Jack to open his eyes. The latter is what ended up happening.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's fine. How'd you…Bunny?" Jamie nodded and the immortal teenager smiled.

"Th-that's what…I thought." Jack's hand subconsciously rested over the bandages covering his abdomen. When Tooth opened the door and saw he was awake, she immediately switched to mother-hen mode.

"Jack! Are you feeling okay? Are you in pain? Should I go get the yetis? Do you need-" Jack cut her off.

"Tooth…I'm fine." At Tooth's scrutinizing gaze he changed his answer. "Well…I will be." Tooth nodded, satisfied with his new answer.

"Jamie, can you give us a few minutes alone?" Tooth asked. Jamie nodded and cast a longing glance at the Winter Spirit before exiting the room.

"What's…going on?" Jack asked, trying not to cough. Tooth sat down on the chair Jamie had vacated.

"Jack, who did this to you?" Jack didn't look up. He knew they'd ask eventually, but that didn't stop him from dreading the moment.

"I-it was…" Jack suddenly felt a sharp pain in his gut and he couldn't breathe. The heart monitor nearby started to go crazy. Every few seconds, the beeping would change to a tone before starting up again. Two yetis burst into the room and ushered Tooth out so they could focus more on their patient. Tooth stood by the fire place in the globe room with Jamie.

"What's happening to Jack?" The child asked, shaking with fear for his best friend.

"I think Lady Luck just signed her own death wish."


	4. A Mother's Anger

"State your name and business."

"E. Aster Bunnymund, Nickolas St. North, and Sanderson Mansnoozie. We wish to seek audience with Mother Nature concerning one of her seasonals." Bunny explained to the sprite in front of them. Said sprite nodded and granted them passage through the gate. The castle looming over the Guardians' heads wasn't a dark castle, but with the thorns covering the walls, it was still pretty intimidating.

"Is too late to turn back now, yes?"

"Ya said it North. Ya got yer sand ready Sandy?" The Guardian of Dreams nodded as the guards opened the doors into the throne room, where Mother Nature was sitting and discussing something with some winter sprites.

"-and don't forget to check that China has at least two inches of snow today." Mother turned her head and noticed the Guardians standing in the doorway. "Ah, there you are! I was about to send one of my sprites to go get you. Tell me, what has become of my Winter Seasonal? I hope he hasn't been shirking from his duties again."

"I'm sorry, Yer Highness, but-"

"Please, call me Mother."

"I'd rather not, but can we talk to ya alone?" Bunny asked, glancing at the audience around them.

"Of course. Court is dismissed." The room emptied in record time and the vines that served as the walls thickened to prevent eavesdroppers.

"Why do I feel as though you are about to give me some bad news concerning Jack?" Mother shifted in her throne, becoming uneasy. Bunny nodded at Sandy, who prepared a ball of dream sand.

"I'm afraid yer right. We do have some bad news fur ya."

"What?" Bunny pushed North forward.

"Go on mate. We all agreed ya would tell her." Mother tightened her grip on the arm rests of her throne. _This must've been really bad._

"Fine. Miss Nature, I'm afraid Jack has been, how do you say, put out of commission for moment." North hesitantly stated. Mother's grip on her throne tightened.

"What do you mean?"

"JackHasBeenAttackedAndIsCurrentlyRecoveringFromNastyStabWound." North said quickly, almost too quickly for Mother to understand.

Almost.

"What!? Who did this!? They should be punished!" She raged. North stopped Sandy from launching his dream sand for a moment.

"We do not know identity of attacker, but are working on helping Jack so that he might be able tell us." Mother caught Bunny shifting his gaze to the floor.

"You may not know, but Aster does." Bunny looked up again and cleared his throat.

"Yes, I do know. But I can't tell ya."

"Why not!? Jack is my child, and I can't stand by and let his attacker run free while he's hurt! Just because I'm not one of your 'Guardians" does not mean— "

"I promised Frostbite I would wait for him!" Mother released her death-grip on her throne. North and Sandy watched as Bunny dropped his ears.

"I promised him. Jack comes first, revenge can wait."

*Somewhere in Las Vegas*

"You will roll a snake eyes and lose everything. You, however, will roll a seven and win it all." The dice fell and the predictions came to pass.

"Luck, that's not fair. This man has been donating all his winnings to the dog shelter across the street. That guy's a mob boss!"

"Fine, Karma, I'll have this guy win the next game. Why do you always have to follow me around?" The gambling spirit groaned. She flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder, knowing that made the brunette jealous.

"Because, Lady Luck, it's my job to make sure you're doing things right. If I weren't here, this place would be out of business just like that." Karma snapped her fingers for emphasis. Lady Luck rolled her eyes.

"Oh please. You have so little faith in me. I can accomplish things just fine without you." She blew on one man's dice and he won the round. Karma folded her arms across her chest. She wasn't as 'perfect' as Lady Luck, but she was still quite beautiful.

"Really? Tell me one thing you've done right without me."

"You remember that Winter brat, Frost, right?"


	5. Who's Lady Luck?

"Who's Lady Luck?" Jamie asked as Tooth flew angrily around the room.

"She's the embodiment of luck." Tooth explained.

"What's she got to do with Jack?"

"Don't you think it's odd that Jack had _this_ happen to him just before he was about to tell me who hurt him? I know it's her. The only problem now is to track her down." Tooth fluttered around the room, deep in thought. Jamie tried to think too, but he couldn't ignore the fact that he had to get home soon. Suddenly, the ground shook and some toys fell to the floor.

"What was that?" Jamie asked.

"I think Bunny and the others just told Mother Nature what happened. We should really get you home before you're missed." Tooth smiled and Jamie reluctantly followed her to a room where North kept all his snow globes. She pulled one off its shelf and whispered something into it. Once she had smashed it against the ground, a swirling portal opened, briefly showing Burgess before becoming a swirl of bright colors.

"Whoa." Jamie stared at the colors. Tooth grabbed another snow globe before ushering Jamie through the portal. After a slightly uncomfortable pulling sensation, Jamie was back on the lake. He turned and saw his friends playing in the snow on the shore. Cupcake was the first person on the ice.

"Jamie, you're back so soon! How's Jack?"

"He's…okay, I guess. Tooth says she knows who hurt him, but that it would be hard to track her down." Cupcake opened her mouth to say something else, but an adult's voice carried through the clearing.

"Jamie! Come help me with the groceries!" It was Jamie's mother.

"I've gotta go. I'll tell you all about it when I get back. If my mom _lets_ me come back." Jamie added under his breath. He was slightly hoping she wouldn't let him.

"Bye Jamie." Cupcake said sadly. She wanted to hang out with him for at least a little while. Jamie turned back to the Guardian of Memories before running off.

"Thanks for the ride, Tooth Fairy!" Jamie called over his shoulder as he ran. Tooth sighed and held up her other snow globe.

"I need to get back to the Workshop. Jack's waiting for me. You guys make sure he gets home safely, okay?" Tooth, assured by the children's agreement, smashed her globe and teleported back to the Pole. Once she got back, the yetis allowed her to see Jack again. He was unconscious, which was expected, but Tooth wasn't too worried anymore. Mother Nature knew now, so the other Guardians should be back soon. With any luck, they'll be able to find the woman responsible. Tooth surprised herself when she suddenly thought of multiple ways to make the gambling spirit pay for what she did. One of the scenarios included a bag of bricks and Jack's lake.

"No, Toothiana, you're better than that. I'm sure Man in Moon can find a just way to punish her. But if he can't, I may be able to suggest a few ways."


End file.
